In India, as elsewhere all over the world, the online harassment of women and marginalized genders and sexualities is rampant, in contrast to the Internet’s initial premise of equal opportunity and neutrality. What we have today is a flawed internet that reflects the offline world we live in, where women and marginalized communities are abused, harassed, threatened, stalked and violated on a daily basis. This paper aims to analyse the unique threats that women and marginalized sections in India face online and how Indian laws affect these problems.
FII with support from Freedom House conducted a research – analysis of media reports involving online harassment of high profile women, a survey of 500 women and marginalized genders and interviews with ten of the respondents (Download the entire report here).
This year, based on our research report, we are running a campaign against online abuse and harassment that women face especially on social media websites. Our campaign #DigitalHifazat – name courtesy Raju Tai – campaigns for a secure and safe internet for all.
As we demand for #DigitalHifazat, we ask you, how do you imagine your internet, what do you want to see in your idea of a safe and secure internet?
